Spain Paid Ransom to Free Hostages Held by Al Qaeda North Africa

Spain has paid Al Qaeda North Africa (Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb or AQIM) some 7 million Euros to release two Spanish men abducted by the organization active in the Sahel region. Officially working for a Barcelona-based “humanitarian” agency, the two Spanish men, Roque Pascual and Albert Vilalta have been detained since November 2009.

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Energy and Mining

Why Desertec Could Succeed

There is no doubt that the development of Desertec will be a challenge for its architects, promoters and supporters. Technical difficulties will add to financing and regulatory issues never anticipated before, further magnified by cultural differences that exist between countries involved in this giant project. But despite all the difficulties of the world, the project must succeed and there is plenty of evidence and good reasons why I think it will.

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Industries and Markets

Top 10 Predictions for the North African Wireless and Telecom Markets in 2010

The telecommunications and wireless sectors have been bright spots in North African economies and likely to continue to grow. The success of these sectors comes from a wide consumer adoption first of basic mobile phone services, in particular voice, at very affordable prices, then expanding into new services from SMS texting to ring tones. In this paper, Julien Blin, the North Africa Journal’s technology editor and CEO of JBB Research predicts what is to come in Africa’s wireless and telecom markets this year. (copyright JBB Research: http://www.jbbresearch.com)

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Finance and Banking

Banking in Transition

Libya’s Billions in Search of Projects

Libya is moving fast to catch up with oil-rich Gulf nations that have set up lucrative investment funds to acquire assets around the world. However, Libya’s entry into the global investment community is not new. Its first and probably most known fund, the Libyan Arab Foreign Investment Company (Lafico) was already set up some 28 years ago.

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Economy and Trade

Signs of Economic Recovery in Morocco

The Moroccan economy is showing some positive momentum after a difficult time reacting to global economic crisis. With demand from European consumers picking up, Morocco is beginning to tally some good news. Although there is some temptation to credit European consumers for this start of recovery, the biggest positive impact has no doubt been the excellent weather conditions that have had strong positive repercussion on farming.

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Security and Politics

Government Reshuffle in Algeria: Changes in Continuity

For many, the change in leadership in Algeria's oil bureaucracy was long overdue. Political pundits have been expecting the sacking of energy minister Chekib Khelil since early 2009 when Abdelaziz Bouteflika renewed his mandate for President for a third term. For others, while expecting Khelil to get somewhat hit by the political tsunami generated by the corruption scandal that has rocked oil giant Sonatrach, they saw him as "the only international statesman Algeria had" due to his dense connections with Western decision makers in governments and businesses. This scandal, which has cost the job of the then Sonatrach CEO, Mohamed Meziane, and forced a substantial reshuffle of the company's executive management, ultimately brought down the powerful minister himself. At the end though, not too many were surprised as changes were expected a while ago. Some observers note that while the sacking of Khelil is analyzed as a bad outcome for the powerful Minister, his exit could indeed be interpreted as a blessing in disguise. Khelil's timely exit means that he will likely remain unaccountable for his questionable contribution in managing Algeria's assets and finances, amid scandals affecting the energy sector.

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Social and Labor Affairs

Harassment of Ethnic Berbers on the Rise in North Africa

North Africa is home of the Amazigh people, also known as Berbers. Although widespread in the Maghreb region, the Berbers continue to suffer from a minority status everywhere in the region, with government often ignoring their basic ethnic rights demands at best, or even actively contributing to blocking any progress toward cultural and economic improvement.

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